To obtain a direct positive image without forming a negative image, there are known a color reversal film and a color reversal paper which use a reversal process. These light-sensitive materials are required to have a sufficient sensitivity and a sufficient exposure latitude because they must be subjected to direct photographic process. Further, these materials need an emulsion showing high developing effect to improve color reproducibility and sharpness of an image provided by the materials. Therefore, silver iodobromide which is advantageous for those purposes has been used as light-sensitive silver halide.
However, the silver iodobromide releases bromide ion and iodide ion into a developing solution and those ions accumulated in the solution inhibit development, resulting in the unfavorable effect that the developing speed is made slow when a number of photographic materials are processed. Therefore, the amount of replenisher is compelled to be increased to stabilize developing properties, or development inhibiting substances in an amount to be accumulated are compelled to be beforehand added to the developing solution to reduce the delay of the development in the continuous process. As a result, development of a light-sensitive material using the silver iodobromide as silver halide gives waste liquids having a large amount of BOD or COD, as compared with development of a light-sensitive material using other silver halide which releases a development inhibiting substance in a small amount.
For the same reason, it is difficult to shorten the developing period. That is, means to accelerate the developing process should be additionally taken. For example, the temperature or the pH value of the processing solution should be increased, or developing agent should be used in a large amount to shorten the developing period. However, these methods are generally accompanied by unfavorable phenomena such as increase of fogging and deterioration of photographic properties, so that a great number of technical developments are required to prevent those unfavorable phenomena.
In view of environmental influences, various means have been taken with respect to the waste photographic developing solution. For example, there has been put into practical used so-called "low replenishing method" in which a replenisher of high concentration is used in a small amount, or so-called "recycling method" in which a development inhibiting substance is removed from a recovered waste solution and the resulting solution with the consumed component such as a developing agent is recycled. In these methods, however, reduction of the amount of the waste solution has limitation because the performance of the processing solution or the photographic property is largely varied. Further, devices for recycling the waste solution cannot be easily equipped because of high cost.
In the light of the above circumstances, a light-sensitive material using silver chloride which releases a small amount of a development inhibiting substance theoretically has been paid much attention. With respect to a system wherein only a color development is carried out, such as a reproduction system of a negative type color image, there has been recently put into practical use a system wherein a light-sensitive material containing silver chloride type silver halide having advantages of silver chloride and a processing solution are used. In this system, rapid processing is possible and the amount of a waste solution can be reduced. However, in the case of a color reversal (positive type) image forming method wherein black and white development and color development are successively carried out (e.g., reversal process), such a system as mentioned above has not been accomplished yet because the use of silver chloride type silver halide causes some unfavorable effects. Especially in a system wherein the black and white development is followed by the color development, mottles (density nonuniformity of an image) of serious levels take place when the silver chloride type silver halide is used.
Use of the silver chloride type silver halide for a color reversal (positive type) light-sensitive material is described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 63(1988)-318556, No. 64(1988)-7037, No. 64(1989)-61742, No. 64(1989)-86140 and No. 2(1990)-214857, but any description on the reduction of waste solutions and improvement of mottles are not given in those publications.